The Battle for Migrant Farm Workers’ Rights
by
Rachel Steinheiser
Honors English II
Period 4
Mr. John Cosden
31 March 2015
Introduction: Andrew Manson, Cesar Chavez, and Farm Workers’ Rights, Chavez’s Citadel
“But oh! Wouldn’t it be wonderful, dear, if we could form a little front-line unit, scientifically and—yes, let me say it—spiritually intact, a kind of pioneer force to try to break down prejudice, knock out the old fetishes, maybe start a complete revolution in our whole medical system” (Cronin 323). This quote, from A.J. Cronin’s The Citadel, sums up Doctor Andrew Manson’s dream, desire, and self-appointed duty to reform the corrupt medical system of England. Since graduating from medical school and entering his profession, Doctor Manson has been forced to work alongside greedy, apathetic, and under-qualified doctors who frighteningly seem to make up a large part of the medical workforce. People such as Freddie Hampton, Charles Ivory, Blodwen Page, and for a period of time, Manson himself, would show neither respect nor concern for their patients. They only …show more content…
Chavez was mentored by and ended up working for Fred Ross, an organizer for the Community Service Organization, otherwise known as the CSO (Pawel 26). Under Ross, Chavez first worked tirelessly to help register the Mexican American population as voters, giving them a voice in the polls (“An American Hero”). In the town of Oxnard, CA, Chavez’s hard work resulted in a 72% turnout in the Mexican American population on the local election day (Pawel 52). In a matter of a few years, Chavez had worked his way to the top, becoming the national director of the CSO (“Cesar Chavez”). However, instead of retaining his position as national director, Chavez resigned from the CSO in 1962, determined to start his own organization that focused on the injustices done to migrant farm workers (“Cesar